Aircraft.



M. T. BRUSH.

AIRCRAFT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5,1917

Patented'lieb. 11, 1919.

mm; )1, 4t, mu

INVENTOR. BY M 6 ATTO RNEY

MITTIE TAYLOR BRUSH, 0F DUBLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

AIRCRAFT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 111, 1919,

Application filed July 5, 1917. Serial No. 178,652.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MITTIE TAYLOR BRUSH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dublin, in the county of Cheshire and State of NewHampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAircraft, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to air-craft of the aeroplanetype, and has for its object the reduction of the visibility of suchmachines when in the .air to a minimum.

The visibility of an object is dependent upon the contrasts of light andshade on its different surfaces, due to the diflerent amounts of lightreflected therefrom, and between the object as a whole and thebackground against which it is silhouetted. Consequently, a transparentobject will be invisible (at least if its surfaces do not reflect lightor all reflect. the same amount) because an observer, looking toward it,will see only the background.

It has accordingly been proposed to use a transparent material for thesurface cov ering of the wings and body of aeroplanes in order to reducetheir visibility when in use, but nosuitable material has as yet beenfound for the purpose. I

I have discovered, however, that, viewed from an appreciable distance,the effect of transparency is obtained when a non trans parent materialor body is provided with a plurality of relatively small and more orless regularly distributed openings, since the rays of light which passthrough such openings become diffused and practicall obliterate allcontrasts of light and sha e on adjacent surfaces. Thus, by forming inthe linen cloth or other non-transparent mate'- rial ordinarily used forthe purpose a number of small openings and filling or covering them witha suitable transparent medium, I have obtained what is in effect a newtransparent covering material; and I have found that by artificiallylighting the non-transparent bodies, such as the motor, fuel tank, etc.,usually mounted upon or within the fuselage of an aeroplane thus cov- Iered, I am able to produce amachine which is practically invisible whenin the air.

My invention, which embraces the two features mentioned, will beunderstood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1is a perspective view, from below, of a common monoplane showing by wayof illustration merely one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2, a brokendetail, enlarged, showing one means of lighting the engine and fuel tankmounted within the fuselage; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail of my improvedsurface covering material; and Fig. 4, a section of such material ashown in Fig. 3.

As here illustrated, the covering with which the upper and lowersurfaces of the wings, the forward end of the fuselage, and bothsurfaces of the elevating planes and the vertical rudder of the machineare covered consists of a thin body-piece or sheet 1, provided withopenings 2 to the edges of which are sewed or otherwise suitably securedthin pieces 3 of transparent material, and a sheet of woven wire orlight wire or linen mesh 4 which is applied to and reinforces the backof the body-piece and the windows. For the body of the covering I preferto use the prepared linen cloth now commonly used as a surfacingmaterial for aeroplanes and for the windows a non-inflammable or slowburning material which is known in the market as celestrome, and thefront of the covering is, or may be. varnished to better secure theedges of the openings in the cloth and to give a smooth outer surface. Ithus obtain a strong smooth covering which is non-combustible, or,rather, slow burning, and which, when the machine is in the air, ispractically transparent. It is to be understood, however, that I do notlimit myself to the specified materials for the body and the windows, asany suitable materials may be used; and, whenever it may be found to bedesirable to cover the fuselage, either in whole or in part, with asheathing of wood or with metal plates, windows of suitable material maybe set in openings therein and secured in any suitable manner. The wirebacking may, of course, be omitted. if not required to secure the neededstrength.

The outer surfaces of the engine .5, fuel tank 6, and other similarnon-transparent bodies mounted within the fuselage, or between the wingsof a biplane, are lighted by electric lamps 7, which may be convenientlysupported either upon' the parts themselves or on the adjacent frameworkof the fuselage and are supplied with electricity from any suitablesource (not shown); or, in stead of electric lights, acetylene lamps orother suitable means for illuminating these surfaces may be employed. Itmay also be found desirable, wherever practicable, tolight the edges ofthe wings and control planes and the outlines of the fuselage.

Having explained the principle of my invention and illustrated anddescribed one practical embodiment of its several features, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

. 1. An aircraft having for its outer surfaces a covering provided atintervals throughout its area with relatively small openings filled witha transparent material.

2. An aircraft ha-vin for its outer surfaces a covering provi ed with aplurality of relatively small openings filled with a transparentmaterial and means for illuminating the surfaces of non-transparentbodies carried therein.

3. An aeroplane having wings which are covered above and below with asurfacing material provided with a plurality of relatively small windowsclosed to air but permitting the passage of rays of light.

4. An aeroplane having its wings and portions of its fuselage coveredwith a nontransparent surfacing material provided at more or lessregular intervals throughout its area with closed windows through whichrays of lightmay pass.

5. An aeroplane having its wings and fuselage covered with anon-transparent surfaceing material provided at intervals throughout-itsarea with relatively small windows which permit the passage of rays ofwith a plurality of relatively small and more.

or less regularly distributed openings filled with a transparent medium,and a backing of woven wire.

ering for aircraft which consists of a body of prepared linen clothhaving a plurality of relatively small and more or less'reg'ularlydistributed openings and thin pieces of a transparent slow burningmaterial secured to the edges of and covering the openings.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a covering for aircraft whichconsists of a prepared linen cloth provided with a plurality "of smallopenings covered with pieces of transparent slow burning material and areinforcement of woven wire secured to the back'of the cloth.

MITTIE TAYLOR BRUSH.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a cov-

